Similar presentations

2 Background and processConsultation document of Eighth Replenishment committed IFAD to prepare partnership strategyStrategic Framework reconfirmed the importance of partnerships for IFAD’s work – one of its ‘principles of engagement’Initial work towards strategy – Information Note to Executive Board Sept. 2011, led from NALOPolicy Reference Group for strategy established Oct. 2011, met twice to dateInterviews with staff and managers; meetings with Resource Mobilisation and Partnerships Office (RMP), with CPM focus group; research and initial consultation with IFAD partners; mapping of IFAD’s existing partnerships; review of key documentation, including IOE workThe Partnering Initiative (TPI) – specialised NGO – supporting the in-house workPresentation of preliminary ideas to Informal Seminar of Executive Board Dec – for discussion and viewsSharing of draft strategy document for comments, and presentation of final version to Executive Board in 2012

3 Partnerships are integral to IFAD’s workIFAD works with many sorts of partners, in virtually all aspects of its work:Member governmentsNGOs / foundationsCivil society / farmers’ organizationsInternational organizations (RBAs, other UN, CGIAR)Bilateral/multilateral devt. organizationsPolicy research institutions/universitiesRegional organizationsPrivate sectorResource mobilization, scaling upProgrammes and projectsPolicy dialogueKMI, lesson learningCommunicationsAdministrative efficiencyInstitutional representation/ credibilityPartnerships exist at global/corporate, regional and national/local levelsMany officialised through MOUs, agreements; but also many less formalIFAD also draws on its experience, reputation and networks to broker partnerships:Between governments and RPOs/ private sector; for south-south learningGrowing role in increasingly complex and differentiated worldOffers scope to enhance IFAD’s value to governments and other stakeholders

4 So why an IFAD partnership strategy?A rapidly changing external environment:Complex development issues require broad or multi-sectoral expertise, and new, knowledge-intensive ways of workingNeed for scalable solutions for substantial impact on rural povertyEvolving Aid Effectiveness agenda – Busan focus on partnershipsIn this context, partnerships can enable IFAD to:Focus on what it is mandated to do and does bestLeverage external resources to complement its own programme of workBetter achieve its strategic objectivesBuilding on what IFAD already does, a more strategic approach to partnerships can help the organization:To be more selective, and give focus, direction and guidance to development and management of partnershipsTo maximise efficiency and effectiveness of partnerships in achieving its strategic objectives

5 Definition of partnershipsPartnerships are defined here as:Collaborative relationships between institutional actors that combine their complementary strengths and resources and work together in a transparent, equitable and mutually beneficial way to achieve a common goal or undertake specific tasks. Partners share the risks, responsibilities, resources and benefits of that collaboration and learn from it through regular monitoring and review.Note:Partnerships are not an end in themselves; rather a vehicle to achieve a defined objectiveNot all relationships are partnerships:A contract is not a partnershipCollaboration is not necessarily a partnershipSome networks are partnerships, others may not beThe definition includes elements that are useful for prioritising and managing partnerships, less so for classifying themSome ambiguity will remain as collaborations develop and change

7 StrengthsWeaknessesHigh level of co-financing in IFAD country programmesStrong partnerships with many member countries – particularly from Lists A and CInnovative partnerships – e.g. PPPs in Uganda, Sao Tome; Spanish loanUnique partnerships with Rural Producers’ Organizations – Farmers’ Forum, regional and country levelsWith long-term commitment to countries, IFAD trusted as partnership broker by governmentsComparative advantage recognised by potential partners – there is interest in partnering with IFADGood (and improving) rating from IFAD partnersLack of common institutional understanding / vision; ad hoc, non- strategic development of partnerships; and lack of explicit, coherent management of partnershipsLack of institutional visibility, and inadequate outreach to potential partners (branding, marketing)Partnerships with member states uneven: e.g. insufficient attention to partnerships for List B / transforming List C member countriesA limited number of IFAD partnerships perhaps bring limited benefits relative to their costsLack of country presence to sustain country-level partnerships

8 OpportunitiesThreatsLearn from past successes and failuresBuild a common institutional vision and develop pro-active strategic approach to partnershipsCommitment to strengthening Resource Mobilisation and Partnership OfficeCountry offices create new opportunities for partnership developmentPotential to expand partnerships with e.g. the private sector, RBAs, List B/ transforming List C member countriesGlobal concern for agricultural production and food securityEvolving Aid Effectiveness agenda leads more RD stakeholders to explore partnering optionsLack of effective partnerships will limit IFAD’s ability to achieve its strategic objectivesLack of partnership incentives at all levels in some other institutions can make partnering difficultIFAD unable to show others that it can be a preferred partner for them – requires results to be achieved, ‘IFAD brand’, partnership approach, as well as marketing of all theseCompetition from other IFIs and development agencies

9 Lessons from beyond IFADBenchmarking of good practices elsewhere – and in particular the approaches and practices of IFIs – will provide lessons and shape IFAD’s strategic approach.Preliminary lessons from other organizations about harnessing and managing partnerships for strategic impact include the following:Strategy: Of the main IFI’s (WB and RDBs), only the AfDB has any form of partnership strategy, though this is limited to a statement of objectives. AsDB has a series of documents for specific partnership types. Elsewhere, partnership strategies have been developed by UN agencies (UNICEF) and CGIAR centres (ILRI).Structure: All main IFIs have an office with responsibilities for formal, financially- based partnerships and resource mobilization. Most large corporate players have a dedicated partnership unit.Practice: WHO partnership agreements include a requirement to review the partnership performance, its value to WHO, and continued demand for/alternatives to it. UNESCO’s simple, compelling World Heritage Sites programme has offered strong opportunities for partnerships with governments and private sector. In corporate sector, strong brand management underpins partnership efforts.

10 Rationale and objectives of a strategic approach paperThe rationaleIFAD works with so many different partners, for so many different purposes, that a single organizational strategy may add little valueInstead, a strategic approach paper would provide guidance for different types of partnership, yet not seek to impose single partnership modelThe objective of the strategic approach paper will be to assist IFAD to be more selective in its partnerships, and enable managers and staff to develop and manage partnerships more effectively and efficiently, so as to better achieve IFAD’s overall strategic objectives. It will provide greater clarity about:Why IFAD should enter into specific partnershipsWhat it wants those partnerships to achieveWhich organizations to partner withHow to develop and manage the partnershipsWho in IFAD is responsible for these activitiesWhen partnership isn’t the right option

12 The paper will also highlight the following:That while there are vastly different sorts of partnerships with a wide variety of partners, under all four partnership types:Focus needs to be on development impact for rural poverty reduction, as defined in the Strategic FrameworkScaling-up is a priority: it will be central to expanded impactIssues of knowledge management and innovation – of learning – are criticalIFAD can offer substantial value added acting as a broker/facilitator of partnershipsThere is need to review new and renewed partnerships for their contribution to IFAD objectives, and discontinue those whose costs outweigh the benefitsIt is important to strengthen IFAD’s capacity to effectively manage partnerships

13 Strengthening IFAD’s capacity to effectively manage partnershipsThe strategic approach paper will provide guidance to IFAD on how to effectively manage partnerships, with attention given to the following areas:RESOURCEEXAMPLETools/InstrumentsDevelop criteria for partnership assessment and selection (shared objectives, clear agenda, capacity of partner, value for money, etc.)SystemsDefine e.g. institutional responsibilities for developing, managing, monitoring and reviewing partnerships; the role of RMP; incentives for partnership developmentProcessesInternalise partnerships in business processes, in e.g. project design or HR competenciesTrainingStrengthen skills of key staff in partnership management, partnership brokerageLearningIntegrate review and capturing lessons from partnerships, evaluating the strategy

14 Questions to Executive Board membersWhat partnership experiences can you share that would be helpful to IFAD?What do you see as the key challenges and opportunities of partnerships for IFAD?Is the proposal to develop a strategic approach paper an appropriate one?What do you see as its key elements?